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Answer
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Made up by a mining lobbyist, claiming it was a Shoshone word meaning "Gem of the Mountains".
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Idaho
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Derived from the native Mohegan-Pequot word "quinnitukqut" or "quonoktacut", meaning "beside the long tidal river" / "river whose water is driven in waves by tides".
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Connecticut
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Comes from the native Aleut word "Alyeska" or "alaxsxaq", meaning "mainland" ("that which the sea breaks against").
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Alaska
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Derived from the Spanish "Nuevo México". Named by Spanish settlers after the Aztec Valley of the Rio Grande River in Mexico (the word Mēxihca, from the Nahuatl language, refers to the Aztec people).
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New Mexico
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Named after the largest of the British Channel Islands, Jersey.
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New Jersey
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"Penn's Woods", named after William Penn. -sylvania is Latin for "lands of forests".
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Pennsylvania
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Origin is both unknown and disputed; though likely came from a combination of indigenous words and early European interpretations. First recorded use in 1765 by Robert Rogers, who referred to a river called "Ouragon" by the native Indians. Could also be dervied from "origanum", a species of wild sage that grows abundantly on the coast.
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Oregon
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From the native Caddo, táyshaʔ (taysha), meaning "friends". The Spanish adopted this word from the Caddo, into "teja" or "texa".
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Texas
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Derived from the native Choctaw word "alba amo", meaning "thicket clearers" or "plant-cutters".
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Alabama
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Named after the English county of Hampshire.
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New Hampshire
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Named after King Charles I of England. Charles in Latin is Carolus. This and one other state were one colony before splitting in 1729.
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North Carolina
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From the Chiwere word "ñįbraske", spoken by the Otoe people, meaning "flattened water". Refers to the wide, shallow Platte River that, when flooded, inundates the region with a flat expanse of water.
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Nebraska
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Named after the native Dakota Sioux tribes (dakhóta), meaning "ally" or "friend".
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South Dakota
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Means "land of the Native Indians" (derived from Latin).
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Indiana
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Disputed, but originates from the native Tohono O'odham (or Papago) people's term "ali sona-g via Arizonac" meaning "site of small springs" (lack of water). OR comes from the Aztec word "arizuma" meaning "silver bearing".
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Arizona
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Originally named "La Pascua Florida" meaning "Easter/Eastertime" in Spanish. Discovered and named by Ponce de Leon during Easter, who was inspired by the lush and flowering landscape he encountered.
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Florida
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Named after a Cherokee village, ᏔᎾᏏ (pronounced Tanasi). The meaning of ᏔᎾᏏ is unknown, but is thought to mean "where the river bends".
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Tennessee
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Spanish for "colored red", referring to the silt of the ________ River.
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Colorado
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From the native Algonquin word "muswachusut" meaning "at the great hill" or "near the great little mountain". Refers to the area around the Blue Hills (near the state's capital).
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Massachusetts
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From the native Dakota Sioux "mní sóta" meaning "cloudy water" or "sky-tinted water", referring to the appearance of this state's river.
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Minnesota
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Named because this state is constituted by the western counties of another state that broke away to remain loyal to the Union during the Civil War. Original state is named for the Virgin Queen of England, Elizabeth I.
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West Virginia
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Spanish for "snow-capped", referring to the nearby mountain range.
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Nevada
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Derived from the Iroquoian language; either "ken-tah-ten" meaning "land of tomorrow" or "kentake" meaning "meadow land".
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Kentucky
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Disputed, generally accepted to be derived from the Quapaw tribe, who referred to themselves as Ugakhpah/Ogáxpa, meaning "people who live downstream". The French interpretated/pronounced this word in various ways; "acansa", "akansa", "Alkanisa". Could also be the French spelling/interpretatoin of the Illini word for the Quapaw people "kką:ze" / "akakaze".
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Arkansas
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From the native Delaware word "xwé:wamənk" ("mecheweami-ing") meaning "at the big flats". Was first used in the _______ Valley in Pennsylvania before being transplanted westward.
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Wyoming
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The French adaptation of an Algonquian language word "Illiniwek", used by the Illini people when referring to themselves.
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Illinois
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From Dutch; "Roodt Eylandt" meaning "red island", referring to the redness of the clay in the area along the shore.
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Rhode Island
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Named after the local native tribe, called "wimihsoorita" by the Illini people. "Winihsoorita", meaning "one who has a wood boat".
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Missouri
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Origin is disputed/unclear, but possibly named after the French province Maine; or referring to the mainland, as opposed to the coastal islands; or after Broadmayne, the family estate of the colony's founder.
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Maine
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2 possible origins: from the word Hawaiki, meaning "place of the gods" in Polynesian, or from Hawai'iloa, the legendary (possibly mythical) sailor/fisherman credited with discovering these islands.
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Hawaii
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From the native Miami Indian word "Meskonsing", meaning "it lies red" or "river running through a red place". Was spelled "Mescousing" by the French and later corrupted to become "Ouisconsin".
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Wisconsin
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Named after Thomas West (Lord De La Warr), the first Governor of Virginia. The nearby river and bay were named in his honor, whereafter the state took its name from these waterways.
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Delaware
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Named after the native Ioway people.
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Iowa
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From the native Choctaw words "okla" and "homa" meaning "red people".
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Oklahoma
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Meaning "green mount" or "green mountain" in French, "Mont Vert".
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Vermont
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From the native Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) "ohi:yo’", meaning "good river". Refers to the river that forms the southern border of the state.
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Ohio
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From the Spanish word for mountain, "montaña". Reflects the rugged Rocky Mountains that dominate the landscape.
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Montana
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Named in honor of France's King Louis XIV.
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Louisiana
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Named after the native Ute tribe. The Spanish designated these people as "yuta", perhaps borrowing from the Apache word "yúdah", meaning "high, though etymology is not known.
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Utah
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Named after a mythical island paradise ruled by Queen Calafia in the 16th-century Spanish novel "Las sergas de Esplandián". Spanish explorers believe they had discovered his fictional island, described as an earthly paradise, abundant with gold and precious gems, when they reached the western coast of North America.
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California
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Named after the native Dakota Sioux tribes (dakhóta), meaning "ally" or "friend".
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North Dakota
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Named for, and by, King George II of Great Britain.
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Georgia
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Named after King Charles I of England. Charles in Latin is Carolus. This and one other state were originally one colony before splitting in 1729.
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South Carolina
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Named after the first U.S. president.
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Washington
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Name after the Duke of York (who later became King James II of England).
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New York
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From the native Ojibwe ᒥᓯᓰᐱ ("misi-ziibi") meaning "great river". This river defines much of the region's geography.
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Mississippi
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Named for England's "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth I. "Country of the Virgin" in Latin.
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Virginia
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Originates from the native Sioux language's word "Kansa" (kką:ze), meaning "people of the south wind". The Kansa/Kaw tribe lived in this area and gave this state its name. |
Kansas
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Named for Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I of England.
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Maryland
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From the native Ojibwe "ᒥᔑᑲᒥ" ("mishigamaw") meaning "big lake" or "great water".
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Michigan
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